Allowing existing iPhoto library to copy on import

When I initially setup my iPhoto library I told it not to copy photos to the iPhoto folder on import. Since then I have added about 4300 photos complete with notations, keywords, dates, etc. Now I really wish that I had just let iPhoto take care of handling the actual files as well, since I have just made a jumble of them all :P Is there any way to get iPhoto to copy all of these files into its own structure without losing all of the work I have put into the library? I know you can select the preference to copy or not while importing, but this doesn't copy pictures which have already been imported. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.
MacBook 2.0GHz, 1GB RAM; Mac Mini G4 1.5GHz Mac OS X (10.4.6)

r0d:
No, but there may be a way you can import them roll by roll and save the keywords and roll organization. You will not retain any albums, books, slideshows, etc. Only rolls (with different dates probably) and keywords.
First follow Tutorial #1 to write the keywords back to the original files in the library. Now create a new library with the copy provision enabled and import all of your original source files. That library then should be essentially the same as you have now as far as roll names and keywords. The roll dates as I've said probably will be the latest modified date of any file in that roll's folder. But that can be edited in iPhoto.
Do you Twango?

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How do I import an iPhoto library to an existing iPhoto library?

I have about 6-7GB of photos stored in iPhoto on an old MacBook. I want to import them to an existing iPhoto library on my wife's new iMac. What's the best way to do this without losing any data? I have an external USB HD, but I'm not sure the best way to move the files (ex: drop the iPhoto library icon into the new drive, etc).
Any recommendations?

The only way is to NOT import - Never import an iPhoto library into another iPhoto library
you move the library to the new machine - Connect the two Macs together (network, firewire target mode, etc) and drag the iPhoto library intact as a single entity from the old Mac to the pictures folder of the new Mac - launch iPhoto on the new mac and it will open the library and convert it as needed and you will be ready move forward.
LN

A photo found in the iPhoto library that was not imported

Every time I open iPhoto, I receive a message saying "A photo has been found in the iPhoto library that was not imported. Would you like to import it?" If I select yes, a box pops up saying "Unreadable file. The file was not imported, the file was missing." and then the photo's path. If I select no, the photo gets placed in a recovery file. I can see the photo in the recovery file, it is a photo that I locked (and maybe marked hidden - if you can even do both). I've tried to go into my iPhoto and unhide photos so that I can unlock the original...I've also tried unlocking the photo in the recovered file. I've tried deleting the photo in the recovery file as well...I can unlock it in Finder and delete it, but (with my limited knowledge of computers) I've determined that I must only be deleting a copy. Where is the original...I'd like to delete it. I don't even need this pic anymore and it is SERIOUSLY IRRITATING ME every time I open iPhoto. And that's often, as I'm always taking pics of my little one. TIA!!!!! Sara

Sara
Welcome to the Apple Discussions.
Go to your Pictures Folder and find the iPhoto Library there. Right (or Control-) Click on the icon and select 'Show Package Contents'. A finder window will open with the Library exposed.
Look there for a Folder called 'Import' or 'Importing'.
Drag it to the Desktop. *Make no other changes*.
Start iPhoto. Does that help?
Regards
TD

Error Message: Photos found in iPhoto Library that were not imported

BACKGROUND: I recently migrated my iPhoto'07 library of around 12,000 photos over to iPhoto'08. I reorganized all my albums as events. After that, I've been adding some old photos to my new iPhoto'08 library. Currently I have around 15,000 pictures in my iPhoto'08 library.
PROBLEM: Recently, iPhoto gives me this message "990 photos have been found in the iPhoto Library that were not imported". The number (990) has been growing with more pictures I add to the library.
OLD POSTS: Searching for prior posts related to this error in this forum, I came across a suggestion to delete the library and reimport the photos. Given my large library size (15000 photos, 60GB - all organized as events, no albums), this solution will take a lot of manual work.
QUESTION: If anyone out there has a suggestion for how to fix this, it'll be deeply appreciated. Thanks!

periyar:
Welcome to the Apple Discussions. Open the iPhoto library package and look for any folders names Import or Imported or something like that. Here's what normally would be in the package. If you find any folders like that them move them to the desktop, open iPhoto and import.
If there are no pending import folders try rebuilding the library and select all the options. If they are true orphans they should be imported at that time.
Don't start over with a new library quite yet. If you have to there are ways we can preserve the keywords and comments. Also, with the paid version of iPhoto Library Manager you could copy all of the "known" photo from the old library to a new one including the albums, comments and titles. Then you can do some comparing of the two library packages and see where these left out files are.
Do you Twango?
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've written an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 08 libraries. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

Photos in iphoto library that were not imported

when I open Iphoto, I get a message that says "28 photos were found in the iphoto library that were not imported. Would you like to import them"? If I say yes, I am shown 28 unreadable files that could not be imported (they may be an unrecognized file type or may not contain valid data". If I say no, it creates a file to store them in under pictures (iPhoto library recovered photos). The reason I got these photos is kind of complicated. I realized when I moved my files from my old PC to my new IMac, I had not been copying them to the iPhoto library but they were still located in the original location. In the process of copying/deleting, things got all messed up. Does anybody know how I can get rid of these unimported photos? Thanks! I have an IMac using iPhoto 8

Go to your Pictures Folder and find the iPhoto Library there. Right (or Control-) Click on the icon and select 'Show Package Contents'. A finder window will open with the Library exposed.
Look there for a Folder called 'Import' or 'Importing'.
Drag it to the Desktop. *Make no other changes*.
Start iPhoto. Does that help?
Regards
TD

"Photos have been found in iPhoto library that were not imported" .. There's no Import Folder to delete

Please read the entire post prior to giving a response.
Our 2011 MBP has had this problem for a while. 15 photos have been found in iPhoto library that were not imported (twice .. every time). I've seen several posts that all have the same answer .. find the import folder in iPhoto, remove it and all will be fine with the world. Some say, it's importing folder, some say auto import folder, but all say it's a folder. Problem is, there is no such folder. I've looked throughout the computer .. applications, iPhoto, right click to show package contents, searched and searched .. nada. NO such folder exists. There are quite a number of files labeled "ImportPanels.nib" and "SelectiveImport.nib" all under "Other". There are also a number of import.tiff files with various names under "Preview". But NO folder with IMPORT in the name.
So, how do I get rid of the never ending 15 photos have been found in iPhoto library that were not imported? Help that doesn't repeat what's already been noted above in other posts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
(BTW .. it has Mavericks installed and everything is currently updated.)

I have no idea where you are looking. I have nothing even similar to that. When I go to Finder and click on Applications and then right click iPhoto (not iPhoto Library .. I have nothing with that name) and click on Show Package Contents, I have just one folder "Contents". That opens to _CodeSignature, _MASReceipt, Frameworks, Library, MacOS, Plugins, Recurces and XPCServices .. no other folder exist.
(I have show .. iMovie, iMovie 9.0.9, iPhoto, iTunes, iWork '09, Keynote, etc .. No iPhoto Library Folder is listed.)
If I go to Launchpad and right click the iPhoto icon, it opens iPhoto. You say not the application, but I have no idea were else to find this other than Finder which is only the iPhoto application and the icon in Launchpad and the Dock.
When I click the Library folder, the only folder is Loginterms which opens to iCloud Photos.
There isn't any folder names Auto Import or anything close. Searches don't help as they only find files, not folder names.
In your picture, it shows iPhoto Library as the header .. mine never shows that, it's always the folder name.
Where is the iPhoto Library Package?

Every time I open Iphoto I get the following message: "A photo has been found in the iPhoto library that was not imported. Do you want to import it? Yes or No" Any suggestions?

Every time I open Iphoto I get the following message: "A photo has been found in the Iphoto library that was not imported. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Quit iPhoto and to to the iPhoto library (by default in your pictures folder) - right click (control click) on it and select show package contents - find the folder named import (on importing) and drag it to the desktop - DO NOT MAKE ANY OTHER CHANGES - launch iPhoto and you will be fine.
Open the import(ing) folder and if there is nothing in it that you need move it to the trash and empty the trash
LN

Everytime I open iphoto, my computer tells me A photo has been found in the iPhoto Library that was not imported. Would you like to import it. no matter what I do, iphoto puts the pic in recovered files. How do I fix this?

Everytime I open iphoto, my computer tells me, A photo has been found in the iPhoto Library that was not imported. Would you like to import it. If I import it, a message comes up Unreadable file, the following file could not be imported. them it tells me where the file is and it cannot be opened. If I do not import, then it says,The photo has been placed in the folder /Users/patrick*******/Pictures/iPhoto Library Recovered Photos_4. It will just keep adding to recvovered photos. This drives me crazy!!!!!!! How do I fix this?

I had this problem some months ago and the following solution from Terrence Delvin put things right:
Go to your Pictures Folder and find the iPhoto Library there. Right (or Control-) Click on the icon and select 'Show Package Contents'. A finder window will open with the Library exposed.
Look there for a Folder called 'Import' or 'Importing'.
Drag it to the Desktop. *Make no other changes*.
Start iPhoto. Does that help?
If it does then look inside that folder on your desktop. Does it contain anything you want? If not you can trash the folder.
However, since connecting a memory stick to my computer, I now have the same problem again. This time there is no folder called 'Import' or 'Importing' so what should I do?

IPhoto, "A photo has been found in the iPhoto Library that was not imported

A photo has been found in the iPhoto Library that was not imported. I click no or yes and I receive a message... The photo has been placed in the folder /Users//Pictures/iPhoto Library Recovered Photos_11. what do i need to do to stop this???

Welcome to the Apple Discussions.
Go to your Pictures Folder and find the iPhoto Library there. Right (or Control-) Click on the icon and select 'Show Package Contents'. A finder window will open with the Library exposed.
Look there for a Folder called 'Import' or 'Importing'.
Drag it to the Desktop. *Make no other changes*.
Start iPhoto. Does that help?
If it does then look inside that folder on your desktop. Does it contain anything you want? If not you can trash the folder.
Regards
TD

How to get rid of pix in my iphoto library that are not imported?

I needed to clear the memory card of my husband's camera recently, and didn't have the canon software installed on my computer. So I tried using iphoto, but it crashed because the movies are high resolution and I guess iPhoto couldn't handle it. I managed to get them transferred another way, but now every time I launch iPhoto I get a message telling me that there are images in my iPhoto library that are not imported, and asking if I want to import them. If I try to import them, iPhoto crashes again. If I say "cancel" I get the same message again next time. I tried going into the finder to get rid of them but don't know where they are. No matter what I try to throw away, I still get the same message. How to get rid of those photos?

and didn't have the canon software installed on my computer.
You could also have used Image Capture in your Applications Folder.
but it crashed because the movies are high resolution and I guess iPhoto couldn't handle it.
iPhoto managed high resolution just fine. Perhaps you don't have the correct codec.
To solve you more immediate problem: go to your Pictures Folder and there you'll see your iPhoto Library Folder. Open it and inside you'll see a folder called 'Importing' or something close to that. Drag it to the desktop. Restart iPhoto. Does that help?
Regards
TD

Photos have been found in the iPhoto Library that were not imported

Every time I open iPhoto 9 (version 8.0.3) I get the following message: "photos have been found in the iPhoto Library that were not imported. Would you like to import them?"
Whether I click "yes" or "no" (it doesn't matter) a "recovered photo" folder is created that contains six documents with long names, such as "8E7471DB-A316-4640-A4EE-98293772E434-269-000002802B328A1B". And even when they are "recovered", the very next time I open iPhoto I have to go through the same thing over again.
I can't find where the originals are or why iPhoto keeps wanting to import these documents.

I tried to right click the photo album icon in my library
Is that referred to in an earlier post?
Seems to me that the suggestion is to
Go to your Pictures Folder and find the iPhoto Library there. Right (or Control-) Click on the icon and select 'Show Package Contents'. A finder window will open with the Library exposed.
Regards
TD

"photos found in the iPhoto library that weren't imported" error message

I just bought my first iMac and was introduced to the dark side of the force (Was always a PC user and have never touched an Apple product). I transferred all my photos from my PC to the iMac Pictures folder. Then I dragged and dropped all the folders one by one into the iPhotos icon in the dock. After all the folders were transferred into the iPhoto library, I removed the original photos by dropping all of them into the Trash and thereby cleaning up my Pictures folder.
When I open up iPhoto this message appears every time, "14 photos have been found in the iPhoto library that were not imported. Would you like to import them?". It doesn't matter if you choose yes or no. It creates a "Recovered Photos" folder within the Pictures folder and there is nothing in it.
I've tried using Disk Utility in Utilities to "Repair Disk Permissions" but this didn't work.
Does anyone out there know what other options I can use?

Go to your Pictures Folder and find the iPhoto Library there. Right (or Control-) Click on the icon and select 'Show Package Contents'. A finder window will open with the Library exposed.
Look there for a Folder called 'Import' or 'Importing'.
Drag it to the Desktop. *Make no other changes*.
Start iPhoto. Does that help?
If it does then look inside that folder on your desktop. Does it contain anything you want? If not you can trash the folder.
Regards
TD

I have 1000 photos in an iPhoto Library that won't import into Photos because it says the metadata can't be read. Yet those JPG files open just fine in iPhoto, GraphicConverter, et al. What gives?

I have 1000 photos in an iPhoto Library that won't import into Photos because it says the metadata can't be read. Yet those JPG files open just fine in iPhoto, GraphicConverter, et al. Any thoughts?

It’s part of the basic install of OS X. So unless you deleted it then it’s there in your apps folder. If you have deleted it, it’s on the System Restore disks that came with your Mac. You will be able to extract the installation package using Pacifist.
Alternatively, if you’re using almost any camera +apart from a Canon+ then the camera card is visible on the desktop and you can drag the movie to the desktop using the Finder and import from there.
No matter what camera you use, if you pop the card from it into a USB Card Reader then it will be accessible via the Finder. Card Readers are inexpensive and all round a better idea.
Why use a Card Reader?
Because it’s safer: Less risk of your images being lost if your camera shuts down during transfer.
Because it saves the battery on your camera
Because it saves wear and tear on your camera ports
Because it’s almost always faster.
Regards
TD

Getting The operation can't be completed because you don't have permission to access "iPhoto Library". when copy from old leopard timemachine backup

Getting The operation can’t be completed because you don’t have permission to access “iPhoto Library”. when copy from old leopard timemachine backup.
any help?

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities
See > http://pondini.org/TM/E9.html

I keep getting this message: the photos have ben placed in th folder /users/debbiecampbell/pictures/iphtot librry recovered photos_11. 68 photos found in iphoto library that were not imported. Everytime I ope iPhoto I get this message.

I keep getting this message:
The photos have been placed in the folder /users/debbiecampbell/pictures/iphtot librry recovered photos_11. 68 photos found in iphoto library that were not imported. Everytime I open iPhoto I get this message. I have deleted the recovered folders numerous times. A new one is made each time I open iPhoto.

Go to your Pictures Folder and find the iPhoto Library there. Right (or Control-) Click on the icon and select 'Show Package Contents'. A finder window will open with the Library exposed.
Look there for a Folder called 'Import' or 'Importing'.
Drag it to the Desktop. *Make no other changes*.
Start iPhoto. Does that help?
If it does then look inside that folder on your desktop. Does it contain anything you want? If not you can trash the folder.
Regards
TD

Allowing existing iPhoto library to copy on import

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